Business Strategies for the New Economy

Adj Prof Neo Kok Beng

Neo Kok Beng is an award-winning technology entrepreneur and a venture catalyst specializes in the technology commercialization of research and inventions from universities and research institutes into high-growth and highly scalable companies. His innovative “global-oriented ventures” have harnessed numerous international and local awards; including the President’s Design Award (2014), NUS Promising Startups (2013) and the US Government for Innovation Initiative (2012). He is currently an adjunct associate professor at NUS and is faculty for innovations at Harvard, Stanford and Tsinghua universities. He has successfully licensed its product to international companies, and have achieved more than USD100 million valuations for his portfolio. Has a build up a portfolio of highly-scalable and global companies with deep-science in the areas of Biomedical, Financial and Space technologies – through its unique acceleration program that is “Global- Business & World-Class” in approach.

Professional Career

Neo Kok Beng is Co-Founder/Director of AWAK Technologies, a technology spin-off from UCLA that is developing the platform technology for sorbent-based dialysis generation and the 1st world peritoneal-based automated wearable artificial kidney, and has licensed 1st product to the Baxter. He has catalyst several high-tech venture in the MedTech, FinTech, SpaceTech and Consumer Lifestyle industries.

He was Vice-President at Singapore Technologies Electronics, specializing in new business development. He had set up new businesses divisions and spin-offs in mobile payment, information security and telematics. He was the CEO of the S$20 million Incubators@Work!, Singapore Technologies Incubation Program, to fund staff in innovative ideas. Kok Beng has worked and set up companies in China (Shanghai), USA (Silicon Valley) and Philippines.

He is CEO of NEO Institute which provides consulting and executive education to international clients. He has conducts executive level training and consulting for oil and gas industry (PTT & Pertamina), telcos (SingTel, StarHub and Telkom), manufacturing (LIXIL, Ashahi Glass, Nippon Paint, Fujitsu, Panasosnic), education (universities and New Oriental Group), government and unions.

Executive Education

Kok Beng is an Affiliate Faculty with the Science, Technology & Globalization program of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He is also on the Faculty of Executive Education for the Innovation in Economic Development (IFED) programs for global leaders in innovation policy, strategy and management; and a senior leaders program on Technology, Innovation & Entrepreneurship (TIE) for Africa ministers and policy makers.

He is an Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Marketing, NUS Business School. He develops and teaches in the executive education, MBA and undergraduates programmes; including Chinese teachings. He develops the MBA modules in Technology Transfer & Commercialization, and Design Thinking & Business Innovations, besides teaching New Product Development. He held concurrent appointment at the Faculty of Engineering on innovation and enterprise, and is on the Faculty of Lean Launchpad of NUS Enterprise & NUS Entrepreneurship Centre. He also teaches innovation and entrepreneurship as the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

He is a highly rated Faculty for Executive Education, typically in the areas of growth strategies, business model innovations, technology transfer and commercialization, design thinking, new product development, open innovation / crowd sourcing and crowd funding. Besides teaching executives, he has been appointed programme directors for numerous corporate programmes such as Telkom Indonesia, Thai Petroleum, China regional banks, Cerebos, A*STARS and SPRING SME Leadershp Programme. He has taught globally US, China, Africa (African Development Bank), Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Brunei, Thailand.

He is on the Academic Committee of the Singapore-Stanford Biodesign, and initiative by A*STAR and EDB to develop the next generation of medical technology innovators. Besides developing the curriculum, he also serves as teaching faculty covering topics in market analysis, medical device regulation and healthcare reimbursements.

Kok Beng graduated with an MBA (NTU) on Hewlett-Packard Scholarship, and PostGrad Diploma (ICIS) on Singapore Computer Systems Scholarship, and B.Eng (2nd Upper Hons) from NUS. He was awarded an Executive Certificate in Innovation & Strategy from the Sloan School of Management, MIT. He was also a Fellow of Science, Technology & Innovation Policy Program at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. His research and writings are in the areas of innovation policy innovation strategies and innovation entrepreneurship.